Chu Chee Tofu (chu chee tao-hoo)
ฉู่ฉี่เต้าหู้

Today we have another vegetarian dish. It is Chu Chee Tofu or "chu chee tao-hoo" in Thai. As you probably know, tofu is often used as a meat substitute in many Thai dishes. In many cases, the finished product looks like the "real thing". In the ingredients below you can see the red curry paste and coconut milk at the top, white tofu on the right and red chilli, palm sugar and kaffir lime leaves on the left. You can use yellow tofu if you like which you will find to be a little saltier.

Cut the tofu into slices much like you do for a cake. Fry this in a pan of oil. Next, heat some coconut cream in a pan until the oil surfaces. Add the red curry paste. Stir it well. You may need to add a bit more coconut milk in order to make a smooth paste. Season it with light soy sauce and palm sugar. Next, add the fried tofu and some more coconut milk. If it is too salty then add some more sugar and coconut milk. I haven't said how much seasoning as it is normal to adjust to your own taste. Finish by adding the kaffir lime leaves and spur chilli. We pre-fried the kaffir lime leaves but you don't need to do that. Come back next week to www.thai-blogs.com for another Thai food recipe. The food blogs are now archived at our www.EnjoyThaifood.com website.

Today we have a simple dish called Fried Battered Mushrooms or "het naang fah chub bpaeng tod" in Thai. As you can see in the picture below, there are only two basic ingredients. On the left there is a pack of tempura flour and on the right oyster mushrooms.

Cooking is of course very simple. Wash the mushrooms then set them aside to drain. Mix the flour with an equal amount of water. Some people also add an egg. Dip the mushrooms into the batter one at a time and then fry them in hot oil until golden brown. This is best served with chilli sauce.

Fried Shrimp with Basil Leaves (pad grapao goong)
ผัดกระเพรากุ้ง

Some people might find the dish this week a bit too spicy, but it is not unbearable. It is Fried Shrimp with basil leaves or "pad grapao goong" in Thai. You could also cook it with chicken if you like. In the ingredients pictured below, you can see holy basil leaves and shrimp on the left and bird's eye chillies and garlic cloves on the right.

You need to prepare the chilli and garlic cloves first by pounding them with a mortar and pestle. Heat some oil in a wok and when it is hot, add the chilli mixture. When it becomes fragrant add the shrimps that have already been prepared. Stir well so that everything is well combined. Season with fish sauce and sugar. You could use oyster sauce if you like. Don't cook for too long. At the end, add the basil leaves and give a good stir. Come back next week to www.thai-blogs.com for another Thai food recipe. You will find the archives at Enjoy Thai Food.

Stir-fried Beans and Mushrooms (thua khaek pat het)
ถั่วแขกผัดเห็ด

It is good to have some vegetarian dishes every now and then. This is another good example that is also not spicy. It is Stir-fried beans and mushrooms or "thua khaek pat het" in Thai. As you can see in the ingredients below, there are two different kinds of mushrooms. Starting from the top, you have rice-straw mushrooms, carrots, bean curd skin, green beans and shiitake mushrooms in the center.

There are a few things you need to do first to prepare for this dish before you can start cooking. Firstly, you need to soak the shiitake mushrooms in water overnight in order to soften them. The bean curd skin is often bought dried so you need to soak this in water for about thirty minutes. Once you are all ready, heat some oil in the wok and when it is hot enough, add the mushrooms, beans, carrots and bean curd skin. You will also need to add some water so that it doesn't dry out. Season with sugar and soy sauce.

Come back next Friday to www.thai-blogs.com for another recipe. You will find the archives at our website Enjoy Thai Food.

Stir-fried Bitter Gourd and Egg (pad ma-ra sai khai)
ผัดมะระใส่ไข่

Today we are cooking a stir-fried dish with bitter gourd and egg. In Thai it is called "pad ma-ra sai khai". It is another one of those simple dishes that doesn't take long to prepare or cook. In the ingredients shown below, you can see two eggs and sliced bitter gourd.

You need to prepare the bitter gourd first by washing it and then slicing it in half lengthwise. Remove and discard the insides and then cut into slices like in the picture above. Heat some oil in the work and then add the sliced bitter gourd. Cook until it becomes tender. Season with light soy sauce and oyster sauce. I only had normal soy sauce so hence the darker look. Finish by breaking the eggs into the wok. Give it a good stir until the egg is cooked through. Come back next week for another recipe at www.thai-blogs.com. The archives can now be found at www.EnjoyThaiFood.com which has been updated with all my food blogs.

This is a Thai salad that uses mung bean noodles (wun sen) and minced pork. In Thai it is called "yum wun-sen". You can also add fresh shrimp but we didn't have any in stock. You might find this a little spicy but it is up to you how many chillies you add. In the ingredients pictured below, you can see chopped onion, red chilli, lime, roasted peanuts, mung bean noodles, cooked minced pork, spring onion and chopped tomatoes in the middle.

You need to prepare the noodles by first soaking them in cold water for ten minutes and then briefly dipping them into boiling water. Then back to the cold water. Then drain them. Mix the noodles together with the minced pork that has already been well cooked. Add some crushed red chillies. Season with an equal combination of fish sauce and lemon juice. Taste it first and then add sugar for the desired amount. Sprinkle on top the spring onion and roasted peanuts. Come back to www.thai-blogs.com next week for another Thai recipe. The archives for these food blogs can be found at our www.EnjoyThaiFood.com website.

This week we have another plain soup for you which isn't spicy. It is called Boiled Stuffed Bitter Gourd or "gaeng jeut ma-ra yat sai" in Thai. I am not too fond of bitter gourds but it is apparently good for your health and is used a lot in natural medicines. I have to be honest and admit that we cheated a little today. I bought this as a pack at Tesco Lotus for 25 baht. Sometimes it is easier and cheaper as nothing is wasted. All you have to do is cook! In the picture of the ingredients below, you can see bitter gourds stuffed with a mixture of minced pork, mung bean noodles (wun-sen) and carrots. On the right there is carrots, stock cube and Chinese soup celery.

Wash the bitter gourd and then cut it into three inch sections. Remove the insides with a fork. Next prepare the pork mixture. Soak the wun sen in cold water. Mix this with the minced pork and chopped carrots and season with a little fish sauce. Stuff this inside the bitter gourds. Place them carefully in a pot and add some stock. Bring to the boil and then simmer gently until the bitter gourd is tender. Add the Chinese soup celery to the soup once you start simmering. Taste the stock and add more fish sauce if you like. Come back to www.thai-blogs.com next week for more cooking recipes. The archives can now be found at www.EnjoyThaiFood.com.